Washington: On Wednesday, day one of the US government shutdown, the White House budget chief informed House Republicans that federal layoffs would begin within 'one to two' days, as per two GOP sources who attended the conference call where this issue was discussed.
According to Anadolu Agency, during previous government shutdowns, federal employees were typically furloughed rather than fired. This has led federal workers' unions and Democrats to question the legality of such firings. Last week, Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought issued a memo highlighting potential mass reductions in the federal workforce if a shutdown occurred. However, he did not provide specific details to Republicans about this plan and argued that these dismissals were necessitated by the Democrats allegedly forcing the administration's hand.
Shortly after this announcement, Vice President JD Vance addressed the media in the White House press briefing room, stating that layoffs would proceed if the shutdown persisted. "We are going to have to lay some people off if the shutdown continues. We don't like that. We don't necessarily want to do it," Vance told reporters. "But we're going to do what we have to keep the American people's essential services continuing to run," he added, as reported by NBC News.
Vance further dismissed accusations that the Trump administration was targeting federal workers for political motives, asserting that the focus was on ensuring the continuation of essential government services. Meanwhile, Vought's memo suggested that agencies would issue reduction-in-force notices to employees in programs or activities whose funding had expired due to the shutdown and were not aligned with the President's priorities. The memo did not specify how many federal employees could be affected.
During a virtual call on Wednesday, Vought also cautioned that the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) nutrition program could deplete its funds by the following week if the government remained closed. The National WIC Association, representing state and local members, confirmed this timeline to NBC News, indicating funding might be exhausted within a week or two.
Other topics discussed on the call included the suspension of military funding, which is currently on hold along with other federal employees' pay during the shutdown, and the status of national parks, which will remain partially open. In response to the administration's threats of federal layoffs, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries argued that the government would have proceeded with layoffs regardless of a shutdown, claiming it was Republican "ideology" to inflict such hardships.
In a separate development, the Senate rejected both Democratic and Republican funding proposals twice in a single day. Despite holding a 53-47 majority, Senate Republicans require bipartisan support to pass any funding legislation.